Wedding season is upon us. Once upon a time weddings were big business for florists, but like most things this has changed.  Wedding venues now offer a full wedding package including flowers. On the whole I think this way of doing business is much less stressful for the bride. The only exception is the flowers for the bridal retinue. Thousands have been spent on the dresses and suits, the pictures will be looked at for generations - don’t skimp on the bridal bouquet. Even if you want it to look like an informal bunch of flowers, get a professional to select the flowers, tape and wire each flower and place them perfectly. Ribbons and bows are very important, always go for the ones made in Germany or France; they are much more expensive but can’t be compared to their cheaper competitors.

If you’re planning a wedding, the first step is to go through all your bridal magazines and scour the internet for images you like, this will give the florist a good idea of your taste and a feel for the theme of the wedding.  Remember, in most instances you are going to get overseas images so the flower selection will be different. We don’t get flowers like “Lilly of the Valley” and a lot of Bridal work in the UK is done with Hydrangeas, which although perfect for their summer will last about 5 seconds in our summer weather.  Be guided by an expert.

Next step is to book time with the florist, you need an hour or so to chat and swop ideas. Get a quotation in writing. Once a bride has accepted our quotation I always suggest a meeting a week before the wedding where you can see the exact selection of flowers that will be used in your arrangements. If you’re ordering table arrangements this is the point at which you want to see a mock up. Finalise collection times and make sure everything is in writing. All this preparation converts to less stress on the day.

This whole process is not only about your special day - it’s about building a lasting relationship with a professional who would like you to be a satisfied client who will continue to use their florist services many times in the future. There is nothing like the satisfied “YAY” of a thrilled bride. I have only ever had one unhappy bride, she burst into tears when she saw her bouquet and yelled at the top of her voice “I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!” I will never forget how disappointed I was; I worked on that bouquet like a mad person till we were both happy. That was 16 years ago, since then we have sent her tons of flowers for various occasions -  when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, came up with some great ideas when she  met and wooed a new love and did all the flowers for her wedding party after she eloped for her second marriage. Nowadays she often pops into the shop on a Saturday afternoon when we both have time for a good old yak. Every bead of sweat I put into making my bride happy was so worth it, I made a customer for life but more than that a friend, and as we all know those are priceless.

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “Living my dream”